THE Guyana Committee Of Services (GCOS), formed in January 2016, ended another successful year with the drawing of its raffle at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) this week.
Since its inception, the GCOS has focused on helping sports persons who could not afford sports gear with donations, but as the non-profit charitable organisation grew, it has transcended the boundaries of sports; assisting anyone who is less fortunate with the help of its sponsors.
Run by its Executive members; Chairman Eugene Noel, Vice chairman Lyndon ‘Jumbe’ Jones, Secretary Rochelle Christie, Treasurer Harry Parmessar, PRO Rajan Tiwari, Leslie Blacks, Kimberly Fanandes and proprietor of Payless Variety Store Joseph Ramkumar, the GCOS also contributes to young footballers and national track and field athletes.

One of its biggest fund-raising projects is its annual fund-raising raffle to which corporate Guyana and ordinary citizens contribute $500 per ticket, in support of sports and community development.

The raffle is drawn on the last day of the year with a first prize of $G1,000,000 (one million dollars).
This year’s annual drawing saw Recardo Fiedtkou collecting the first prize of $ 1 MILLON on behalf of Navin & Sons
Other winners were:

2nd, $300, 000 (Luminous)
3rd, One Electric Bike (Amanda’s bridal)
4th, One 42-inch flat screen TV (Avinash Contracting Scrap Metal)
5th, One Samsung Smart phone (Games Express)
6th, One Electronic Tablet (Hoosein Logistics)
7th, One Microwave (Keshmatie Narayan)

Three consolation prizes (One Adult Bike, One Children’s Bike and One Electric Iron.
At the age of 36, former world-title contender Clive Atwell has returned home from Australia where he is involved in coaching boxing and explained how (GCOS) was formed
Atwell, a former Caribbean Featherweight and WBC–CABOFE Super Lightweight Champion, was in a title fight against T&T-based Dexter Gonzales at the Giftland Mall October 24, 2015, when he fainted
He was rushed to hospital and was found to have a subdural haematoma haemorrhaging, a condition that is the result of a serious head injury. Emergency surgery was performed by local neurosurgeon Dr Amarnauth Dukhi.
Had it not been for God and the skilful hands of Dr Dukhi, Atwell would not have been alive today.

Atwell was placed on six months bed rest with medications. Dr Dukhi informed that at that time the surgery could have been done in Guyana.
Atwell and his wife tried to secure the money through the Ministry of Sport under the APNU government and other ministries.
“We got no response until this story was picked up by sports journalist Sean Devers, who himself had a brain cancer surgery.
And that’s how we started to see some positive light in this regard,” Atwell remarked.

“After my story came to light, I was able to sit with the then Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, where he re-presented my medical documents which I needed for a reconstructive surgery [which was] was done overseas” said the father of two.
Atwell noted that since his plight was made public, the country has responded well.
Two weeks after Atwell’s story was published, the GCOS was born and its first mission was to send Atwell overseas, where his surgery was done. (Sean Devers)